Food Safety in the Home

Overview:

Food poisoning is caused by several types of bacteria or viruses. It is unpleasant to say the least & in some cases it can be life threatening.

Most cases of food poisoning occur in the home & could have been prevented with proper food safety practices. This article looks at ways to safely buy, prepare, cook & store food so that a bout of food poisoning can hopefully be avoided.

Cleaning:

Don't leave food lying around. Clean up as soon as you are finished to prevent pets, vermin & bugs getting at it.

Use separate sponges for your utensils & the pets bowls etc. That also applies to using sponges on floors etc., and then using on food utensils.

• Clean sponges every other day or so. You can do this by either placing it in the dishwasher or sterilising it with bleach mixed with hot water or placing some water into a pan & boiling for 10 minutes.

• Change your sponges regularly. I usually downgrade mine from dishes/utensils use to pet bowl use & finally to cleaning floors & spills.

• Change your tea towel every day or so.

• Regularly clean out cupboards, check packaging for signs of insects (such as pantry moths), wipe down shelves.

• Regularly clean out your fridge, including wiping down all shelves.

Buying & Transporting Food:

• Buy from reputable suppliers from premises which look clean. Buy the freshest food possible.

• Check use by dates and don't buy food past this date.

• Don't buy products with damaged, leaking or bulging packaging.

• Don't buy tins which are dented, bulging or leaking.

• Don't buy foods in vacuum packaging if the packaging is loose.

• Store cold foods in cool bags.

• Keep hot & cold foods separate.

• Buy cold & hot food as late into your trip as possible.

• Get food home as quickly as possible.

Preparing Food:

• Wash hands thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds with soap & water before handling food. Dry properly.

• Use clean boards & utensils. Sterilise boards after use.

• Don't use one board for everything. Use separate boards for meat & vegetables etc.

• Thoroughly wash fruit & vegetables before eating them.

• Wash hands after handling food too!

Cooking Food:

• Make sure hot food is steaming hot when you serve it.

• Ensure it is cooked through properly. Chicken, pork, mince & sausages in particular must be cooked through. When the juices are clear, the meat is properly cooked. If in doubt, check with a meat thermometer. The temperature should be above 75°C.

• Hot foods should  be cooked & kept above 60°C. Cold foods should be cooled to below 4°C. Foods kept between 4°C & 60°C are in what's known as the 'danger zone'. This temperature is right for bacteria to multiply & food will quickly become spoiled.

• Make sure meat is entirely defrosted before cooking.

• Microwaves don't always cook food evenly. If microwaving food, stir thoroughly to ensure it is hot all the way through.

• Always follow cooking instructions on packaging properly.

Eating Food:

• Don't eat food by after it's use by date.

• Don't dip cooked food into sauces or dips which have contained raw foods. If you are marinating food, save some of the sauce (before you have put meat in it), and serve this up with the cooked food.

Storing Food:

• Put hot food in the fridge as soon as the steam has stopped rising. Don't let it cool down on the bench.

• If you have a large quantity of food, place it into a shallow container to cook as quickly as possible.

• Don't store raw & cooked foods together. As a rule of thumb, place raw meats at the bottom of the fridge so that their juices can't drip onto other foods.

• Store each food separately, so if you have raw chicken & raw beef, store in separate containers/plates. The same goes for storing cooked meats such as ham & beef.

• Don't use the same utensils with raw & cooked food.

• Always cover food stored in the fridge to prevent cross contamination.

• Your fridge should be set to 4°C or less degrees.

• Your freezer should be set to -18°C or more.

• Cover all food stored in the fridge or freezer.

• Don't over  pack fridges or freezers.

• Keep all perishables such as meat, dairy, fruit & vegetables in the fridge.

• Throw out food you suspect has gone off, if you leave it it could contaminate other foods.

• Store dried food such as grains in glass containers with good seals. This will prevent vermin & insects getting at it.

• Once you have opened a can, either use the contents or if you can't use them all, remove from the can & store in an air tight container in the fridge. Eat within a day or so.

• Don't over pack your fridge, it will run less efficiently.  

Freezing Food:

• Ensure food in the freezer is rock hard.

• When preparing a cooked meal for the freezer.

• Always put a label on the foods you are freezing with a description of what it is & the date it was frozen.

• Only store food in the freezer for the recommended freezing time.

• Store food in single sized portions where possible, this makes defrosting easier & quicker.

Thawing Food:

• Thaw food either in the fridge & not on the kitchen bench, preferably at a temperature below 4°C.

• You can also thaw food in the microwave (it should have a thaw setting), but only if it is going to be cooked immediately.

• Make sure meat is entirely defrosted before cooking.

• Do not re-freeze thawed food.

Re-Heating Food:

• Make sure food is steaming when you have reheated it. Temperature should be over 75°C.

• You can only reheat food once.

Miscellaneous:

• Don't put cooked food onto plates which have had raw food.

• Relying on your nose to tell you if food has spoiled is unreliable. Follow use by dates & if in doubt, throw it out.

• If you suspect you have caught food poisoning from an outside source (ie; cafe, restaurant etc), report it to your local council health department as they may wish to investigate.

• Buy a fridge thermometer & regularly check the temperature of your fridge to ensure it is 4-5°C.

• If you do suspect you have food poisoning, let somebody else cook.

• If  you have any cuts, cover with a waterproof plaster before handling food.

• When you are packing your children's lunch, include a frozen bottle of drink which will keep the food cold.

Also see:

Disinfecting Kitchen Sponges, Hand Washing